


Today is....

by PumpkinDoodles



Series: Taserbones Tumblr Prompts & Tiny (Adorkable) Fics [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: A French Toast Pillow, Anonymous Love Letters, F/M, Jane Will Get Heimdall to Snitch, That's a Clue!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:02:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PumpkinDoodles/pseuds/PumpkinDoodles
Summary: On Love Note Day, Darcy gets an anonymous letter...





	1. Love Note Day (Sept. 27th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

Darcy had gone on a coffee run, leaving Jane briefly unsupervised in the lab, and returned to find something small and square on her desk. “Who left the card, Jane?” she said.

“Someone left a card?” Jane said dimly. Darcy held up the envelope. Her name was written in neat script.  _ Darcy. _

“Yup,” she said.

“Are you and Ian back together?” Jane said.

“God no,” Darcy said, opening the edge. She always had trouble with envelope edges. They tore. Jane joked that half her mail looked like a dog had chewed it, once she opened the letters, bills, and solicitations for university donations. “This is--this is an anonymous love note.”

“What?” Jane said. “From who?”

“An anonymous person who thinks I’m cute,” Darcy said happily. “See? It says it, right there. Me smile cute.” She pointed. Jane looked over her shoulder.

“And sweet and warm--this person has met you,” Jane said.

“Awww, Janeybug, that’s sweet of you,” Darcy said.

“No, they know about your love of bread-shaped pillows,” Jane said. She gestured with her elbow. Darcy kept a French Toast pillow in her lab chair. “And they find it cute, too.”

“You could say that with a little less skepticism,” Darcy said. “But who is it?”

They asked all around the facility, but got nowhere. Security was unaccountably tight-lipped, Darcy found herself weirdly blocked whenever she tried to hack the lab’s cameras, and even Jane’s stern yelling wouldn’t shake any information out of Cameron Klein the next afternoon. 

“That’s it,” Jane said, “I’m sending Thor a note--”

“No, wait, you’re broken up!” Darcy said.

“For you, I’ll get Heimdall,” Jane said firmly. 

“Wow,” Cam said, gazing between them. “I read about that in  _ Us Weekly _ , you’d really call your ex--?”

“Cam,” Darcy interrupted. “Why won’t you help us?”

“Because he’ll murder me,” Cam said. “Actual murder, not metaphorical.”

“Ah ha! It’s a dude,” Darcy said. “That’s information.”

“Oh God,” Cam said, stricken-faced. “Please don’t let him know I fucked up--”

“All right,” Darcy said. “Jane, you’re not calling Thor. We’re investigating this ourselves.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m Nancy Drew-ing this,” Darcy insisted. “It’s a life dream.”

She re-read the letter that night, searching for clues. There were several stops and starts, as if the letter writer had paused and tried to figure out what to write:

_ Darcy-- _

_ I see you all the time, but couldn’t find a way to say this in person. I’m not good with words. Never have been. But the other day, I heard you tell someone that you were “just a little ol’ nobody lab assistant surrounded by geniuses and Avengers.” That couldn’t be farther from the truth, sweetheart. You make people around you better. The first time we met, you gave me the biggest, cutest grin I’d ever seen and it made my whole day. I was practically walking into the damn walls. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to catch that smile whenever we’re in the same room. It doesn’t matter if you’re dragging around that toast pillow or bringing in cupcakes and telling Smith jokes for his birthday, I feel drawn to you. Your warmth, your sweetness, your sense of humor. It’s like the pull of gravity for me.  _

_ There’s nobody else in the room when you’re there. I actually look forward to staff meetings now, and if that’s not a fucking miracle, I don’t know what is. _

  
  


“I see him all the time, we’ve been introduced, and he was at Smith’s party,” Darcy said to Jane.

“The one where you made the cupcakes?” Jane said.

“Yeah, and he’s at staff meetings,” Darcy said.

“Him and the other ninety people at our meetings,” Jane said glumly. 

“We’ll figure it out.”

“How?”

“What if I go around smiling at all the men and see who responds?” Darcy said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the real Days of the Year Calendar: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/love-note-day/


	2. Biscotti Day (Sept. 29th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

“A box!” Darcy said, when she spotted the package in their waiting mail. They'd just arrived at work. 

“What?” Jane said. She was still asleep. And on her first cup of coffee. She leaned against the wall, yawning. 

“From the dude! I recognize the handwriting,” Darcy said, tearing open the card envelope. “Happy Biscotti Day,” she read aloud.

“He’s escalated to sending presents,” Jane said. "A pattern."

“With amaretto flavoring,” Darcy said, grinning. “I might like him back. I’m going to try the smiling.”

All day long, Darcy smiled at every man she saw. She also took her biscotti to a meeting. Jane was presenting. She put the biscotti box in a highly visible spot on her media cart. Everyone told her that she looked happy. But no one outed themselves as her mystery man. Eventually, she started to worry that her perma-smile looked a little demented. “What if I scared him off?” she whispered to Jane, as they rode the elevator back to the office. Darcy was feeling dejected. 

“Not possible,” Jane said, returning to studying her notes. The doors opened and some of the super intense agent types got on. These were the commandos, not the baby Coulsons. They wore tactical clothes. And carried visible weapons. Darcy’s eyes trailed down the back of the dark-haired guy in front of her. She’d seen him around. He was one of the terrifying ones who’d infiltrated HYDRA, she remembered. Everyone found him scary because he’d been badly burned and then playacted at being a scary mercenary for a year or something before Helen Cho healed him and he got a pardon? She’d heard stories and snippets. People tended to get quiet when he showed up. Just then, he caught her looking. Damn. She had to acknowledge her look now. “Is that--is that a taser?” she said. “Or are you just happy to see me?” She tried to make it sound like a joke. He turned to look at her.

“It’s a taser rod, but it’s good to see you,” he said seriously, seeming not to acknowledge her joke. Then--in what she was sure was a total rules violation--he unsnapped the taser holder and passed it to her. “Did you want to tase me?” he said, dark eyes looking directly at her. “See how it works?” he offered.

“Sure, sure,” Darcy said. “Right.”

“You can,” he said, extending an arm out. The other people in the elevator were staring now. Was he fucking with her, Darcy wondered? “I have a high pain tolerance,” he said, giving her a slight smirk. “Tap the button, sweetheart,” he said. She did. The taser sparked and crackled. The voltage must be incredible; she felt it hum in her hand like a lightsaber or something. 

“Holy shit,” Darcy said. “Here--take this back.” 

“You don’t wanna?” he said. “Lots of people around here wouldn’t mind tasing me.” There were chuckles in the elevator.

“I’ve decided I’m a pacifist,” Darcy said. “Also, that thing has so much juice, I can feel it in my wisdom teeth.” He chuckled and tucked it back in his waist belt. She was watched his hand move. He was wearing those tactical glove things. Darcy’s attention was drawn to the shape of his forearms. And biceps. He really was fit, she thought, as her eyes traveled up his arm. That was when she realized he was still looking at her intently. “Umm,” she stuttered, then looked at Jane, trying to telegraph help. Luckily, Jane had looked up from her notes at the crackling sound and got the hint. 

“You’re sure it’s not the biscotti you’ve eaten today bugging your teeth?” Jane teased, clearly trying to the break the weird tension. 

“That’s true,” Darcy said, aiming for breezy. “I’m a pacifist who loves snacks.” Behind him, the elevator doors opened and his team members stepped out ahead of him. He nodded at Darcy and backed up.

“What kind of snacks?” he asked stepping backwards. He actually smiled at her then. She’d never seen him smile, she thought. It was actually a great---then there was a loud _ thunk. _ His shoulder had collided with the edge of the elevator frame.

“Ow,” Darcy said. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, stepping over the frame. His smile had fallen slightly.

“She loves all snacks,” Jane said. “Cheez-its, popcorn, pretzels, chocolate--”

“Chocolate-covered pretzels,” Darcy added, as the doors closed between the two of them. He looked all serious again as the doors whooshed shut and she lost sight of him. "That was weird, right?" she asked Jane.

Jane shrugged. "This whole place is strange," she said. Something nagged at Darcy. She was still thinking about it in the lab.

"Could scary Rumlow be him?" she said. "My letter guy?"

"Huh?" Jane said. "That guy? No way. He looks like he would shoot a toast pillow. And he's way too old for you--"

"Yeah," Darcy said, chewing her lip. Jane got a gleam in her eye.

“Let’s map this out. We can track when you get things.”

“Okay,” Darcy said. “Should we do a clue board?”

"Yes, definitely," Jane said. "I'm going to compile notes--"

"I'll get stickers and yarn," Darcy said.

"Stickers?"

"I bought them and haven't used them yet?" she told Jane, shrugging.


	3. Noodle Day (Oct. 6th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

“This isn’t really working, is it?” Darcy said, gazing up at their clue board. They’d turned the back of one of Jane’s white boards and a second pin board into a place for their ideas.

“But your glitter yarn and decorative borders are pretty!” Jane insisted. “I still say the problem is that everyone is stone-walling us. They know.”

“Yup,” Darcy said with a sigh. “They know who he is.” Jane frowned and scrunched her face in thought.

“I could threaten to portal them?” 

“No actual violence, please,” Darcy said.

“I wouldn’t actually do it, but they don’t know that,” Jane said. Darcy laughed. “But the basket of pastas is nice,” Jane said. “He gives great presents.” Darcy had found it sitting on her desk in the morning.

“It’s Noodle Day,” Darcy said. “I looked it up. It’s Noodle Day and he sent me fettuccine.” She rested her head on her chin, grinning. 

“Awww,” Jane said. “It’s so wild the way he’s using those holiday calenders to give you things.” Darcy nodded. Her Secret Person was using on online calenders for gift ideas, it turned out. She’d been gifted coffee, biscotti, and now noodles. Plus, she was spending so much time looking at them, Darcy and Jane had decided to celebrate Name Your Car Day--October 2nd--themselves. The car was called Ruby now, but no further progress had been made.

“It was nice to get free coffee on National Coffee Day _and_ International Coffee Day,” Darcy admitted. “But why doesn’t he just ask me out?”

“I don’t know!” Jane said. “This is worse than when Thor didn’t call me!”

“He didn’t have a phone,” Darcy said. She looked at Jane. They burst into laughter. 

“But okay, what do we do?” Jane said.

“I could wait until he gets brave…” Darcy said. “Or…”

“What?”

“I could go full _ Amelie,” _she said. 

“What?” Jane said.

“The problem with you is that you only watch NOVA and feminist documentaries,” Darcy said. “Thank God Thor got you into the Rock.”

“I love Dwayne Johnson,” Jane said, her voice a sigh. “He’s so great.”

“He’d never leave a girl in doubt about his identity, either,” Darcy joked. 

“Sorry, Darce,” Jane said. 

“It’s okay, I’m going to crack this case,” Darcy said. “We need colorful poster paper. And possibly a black and white photo of my boobs.”

“Your boobs?” Jane said, frowning in confusion.

“You really need to see more movies.”

***

“What in the bloody world?” Jack Rollins said, gazing at their STRIKE memo board in confusion. There was a photocopied black and white image of a woman’s neck and chest--her top was low cut--with the words, _ where and when? _written over them. The poster paper was brightly colored. 

“It’s a movie reference,” a passing Cameron Klein said, “from _ Amelie? _ French movie. When the girl wants to contact the guy, she leaves these posters where she writes where and when on her stomach? You should, uh, tell someone, because that’s Darcy Lewis….” Cam wiggled his eyebrows.

“Oh,” Jack said. He took the poster down. “I’ll make sure it gets seen.”

“It’s not like he could miss them, they’re all over the place,” Cam said, then immediately looked guilty. “I haven’t told her anything!” 

“I know,” Jack said. “Nobody’s talked.” 


	4. Cake Decorating Day (Oct. 10th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

October tenth was Cake Decorating Day. Darcy got an assortment of brightly colored sprinkle jars: a blend of black, orange, and ghost sprinkles for Halloween, a blue and purple mixture called Galaxy that Jane adored, and a jar that contained tiny pink hearts. “This is so cute,” Darcy said. There was a note tucked under the jars. Darcy tore open the paper eagerly. Jane leaned over her shoulder to read along. There was a response to her message on the note. He wanted to meet her at a cafe near the office on the fourteenth. "He wants to meet!" Darcy said.

“You have a meet!” Jane yelled. 

“Ahhhhhh!” Darcy yelled. “I’m so excited!” They shimmied around the lab. Darcy checked her calendar. “He wants to meet me on Dessert Day,” she said breathlessly.

“You’re dessert,” Jane cracked.

“Oh my God, I’m going to die. How can I wait four whole days to see if he’s cute?” Darcy said. “I feel like Tom Hanks in _ You’ve Got Mail_, he could have a squeaky voice and a face like a mailbox, I’m still smitten.”

“He’s gotta be cute,” Jane insisted. “He has to be. My future niece little Jane is going to be cute, it’s my one rule.”

“Your one rule?” Darcy said, laughing. Jane had about a million rules. But Darcy didn’t care. 

Darcy was so excited, she decided to scope out the cafe early. She wanted to be prepared. She couldn’t be late on the day. If she knew where she was going and where the parking was, everything would be okay. He would be cute and sweet and probably wear glasses and blush. She’d constructed him in her mind: plaid shirt, slender, brownish hair, soft eyes, blushing like a fool. By the time she found the coffee shop, ordered a mocha, and sat down, Darcy had even given him a name. He was definitely a Chris. Or a Kevin. He had probably taken French and played the violin badly in school, too. He was _perfect._

Darcy sat, waiting for her mocha latte. She did change seats several times. She wanted good sight lines from the front door and flattering overhead light. Darcy fished out her sprinkles from her messenger bag and studied them with a happy sigh. Only a good person would buy you cake decorating supplies, right? She wondered if he’d ordered them from somewhere or gone to the craft store and searched the baking aisle for heart-shaped things. It made her chest feel all fluttery to imagine someone doing that for her. “Darcy?” the barista said. She popped up.

“That’s me, that’s me,” she said, feeling giddy.

“Here you go,” the barista said. Darcy was tempted to explain her situation, but it sounded crazy, right? She didn’t have a physical description, so….

She would just sit down and think about him for a bit. It was fun to watch people come in and out and wonder if he’d been in that day. She was on high alert for SHIELD uniforms. She’d just taken a first sip of her mocha when she saw a familiar set of shoulders and arm tattoos outside the glass window at her elbow. It was that STRIKE dude, Rumlow, walking by. He'd stopped to talk to a barista on break. Darcy knocked on the window and waved brightly. Rumlow turned.

He stared at her, looking gobsmacked for a second, then said something to the barista and came inside. “Hi,” Darcy said, as he walked over. She was probably high on coffee and cake decorating supplies because he looked alarmed. “Fancy seeing you here,” she joked. 

“Yeah?” he said, alarm turning to a smile. It was actually a sweet smile. 

“You’re a regular?” she asked.

“Yeah. Yes,” he said, nodding. He put his hand on the chair back opposite hers, but didn't sit down. His eyes kept going to her face.

“Sit, please, so I can tell you a crazy story,” Darcy said, “like, ‘_ ahhhh, Darcy’s this crazy girl from work, guys, I don’t actually know her’ _is what you’ll be telling the baristas when I leave.”

“No,” Rumlow said, shaking his head gently as he sat down.

“Just wait,” she said, gesturing wildly. “So, I’m like stupidly excited, okay?”

“Yeah?” he said, smirking.

“If you can’t tell,” she added. “There’s this guy at work. Like, a secret admirer? He’s been sending me gifts. Nice ones. Coffee and pasta and today, cake decorating stuff because it’s Cake Decorating Day. He sent me the world’s cutest sprinkles”---Rumlow was grinning at her now---”so, I’m completely in love with him, obviously, but no one will tell me who he is!”

“You _ still _ don’t know who he is?” Rumlow said, eyebrows going up. 

“Please don’t tell me you know,” she said. “Everyone but me and Jane know. She’s about one week from threatening to portal Cam Klein to Jotunheim so he’ll give us information.”

“I might know,” Rumlow admitted. He did a so-so motion with his hand. Then he grinned. Wickedly. He knew. Darcy glared at him in mock affront.

“Argh! That’s so annoying, but don’t tell me,” she said. 

“You don’t want me to tell you?” he asked. Darcy shook her head vigorously. He looked puzzled. Darcy started to babble then. She babbled when she was excited.

“We have a date,” she said, leaning over and actually grabbing Rumlow’s hand to convey how she felt. “For the fourteenth, which is Dessert Day. Jane keeps making jokes that I’ll be dessert, which okay, maybe. If he’s cute. God, I hope he’s cute. Anyways, I’m wildly nervous about the whole thing, so I’m practicing.”

“Practicing?” he said.

“It’s a thing I do whenever I’ve got to be someplace new and I’m nervous about being late or not knowing where to park or whatever, so I did a test run and came here. This is where the date is, by the way. Sorry. I should have said that first. I’m too excited.” She took her hand back. "I'm sorry I grabbed on you."

“Yeah,” he said, nodding and smiling. "It's okay." He must think she was funny. “Mission planning,” he added. “Like a tactical exercise.”

“Exactly. Tactical exercise. So, because I’m like the kid in the Disney ad, too excited to sleep, I’m here, figuring out my parking and the table with the best light, so he thinks I’m pretty and everything. Oh, look.” She brought out her sprinkles and showed them to Rumlow.

“Sprinkles?” he said.

“Isn’t that just the cutest thing ever? I can’t even deal. I keep imagining somebody wandering around, like, a Michaels, trying to find me little hearts and then I want to pass out. God, I hope he’s not, like, one of those Young Republicans who looked forty-five when he was eighteen and has a terrible haircut,” Darcy said. “He’s not, is he?” She looked at him hopefully. “Lie to me, please. You know those haircuts they have. It’s always a ruler-straight part and all square on top.” He laughed for a full minute. Then he grinned at her. 

“I think his hair is okay,” he said, running a hand over his own hair as if the discussion had made him think of it.

“Well, if you say it’s okay, it’s probably really good, because you’ve got amazing hair,” Darcy said. “That’s like Jane saying someone’s okay at physics or Thor saying someone’s an okay lifter.”

“That right?” Rumlow said, beaming in obvious pleasure. She nodded seriously. “I’m going to get a coffee,” he said. “With my great hair.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, as he got up.

Rumlow came back a moment later with a cup. He gave her a big smile again, but she was thinking about her guy and didn’t smile back promptly. “You okay?” he asked.

“I am freaking out,” Darcy admitted. “What if he decides I’m not as cute in person?”

“Nah,” Rumlow said. 

“Or he doesn’t date women over thirty?” she said. “I’m thirty-two. Some guys are like that, I don’t get it--”

“Lewis, he knows who you are,” he said gently. 

“Yeah,” she said. “Keep telling me that. I could probably live with Young Republican hair, as long as he’s not, like, a super-traditional guy who thinks I should wear pantyhose,” she mused. Rumlow started to laugh.

“You’re just imagining worst-case scenarios,” he said.

“Pantyhose are horrible,” she said, swatting at him. He dodged and laughed some more. “They are,” she insisted.

“All right,” he said. “Let’s focus on the positive here: what gift did you like best?” Darcy inhaled and slapped her hands over her heart.

“Oh em gee,” she said. “He wrote me a letter.”

“You liked that best?” Rumlow asked, smiling.

“It was wonderful. He said I made him look forward to staff meetings,” Darcy said, hand still on her chest. “Is there anything that feels better than that?”

“Probably not,” he said, smirking. “Well, you know---”

“Wait, hold on,” Darcy said, putting her hands on his forearm. He looked down at her curiously. “He also gave me pasta. It’s really a toss up between fettuccine and that note.” 

“Really?” Rumlow said, laughing. “I can tell you’re really excited about pasta, Lewis.”

“I am. Ohhhh my God, this is just too much, you know?” she said to him. “How am I going to wait until the fourteenth?” She beamed at him. 

“I can tell you who he is?” Rumlow offered again. 

“No, no, don’t,” she said. “I want to hold onto this feeling. It’s killing me, but in the best possible way.”

“All right,” he said. He rubbed his jaw. Darcy sipped her coffee, caught his look, and grinned.

“I’m weird, I know,” she said. “But this feels--it feels like the night before Christmas when you're so giddy and the lights are still up or that moment in a movie before two characters kiss and you really want them to kiss, so you’re holding your breath a little, but also, you wish you could just hold onto that feeling of possibility?” She looked at him. “Keep that moment going. Do you know what I mean?”

He was staring at her with the strangest expression. 

“I--I’m--” Rumlow said. Then something started to beep. 

“What’s beeping?” Darcy said, looking around.

“Shit,” Rumlow said. “Sorry. That’s me. Emergency, uh, stuff.”

“All of a sudden, I thought my romance scene had turned into an action movie,” she joked. “If the cafe drops below fifty--”

“Very funny, Dennis Hopper,” Rumlow teased, standing up. “I’ve gotta go, but this--” He paused and stared down at her for a beat.

“Has been a really weird outing with your strange coworker?” she offered.

“I had a great time,” he told her. “With you. I’m sure it’s gonna be fine.” 

“I really appreciate you lying to me so supportively, thank you,” she joked and he shook his head. The beeping increased.

“I gotta go before Hill shows up with her serious face on,” he said. He got to the door and turned back, smiling. “Don’t worry. This guy’s crazy about you,” he said. Darcy laughed in delight.

“Thank you,” she said. “Mr. Great Hair!”


	5. Old Farmers Day (Oct 12th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

An ebuillent Darcy was going down to the loading dock on October 12th, aka, “Old Farmers Day” with her delivery paperwork when she ran into Maria Hill. “Hello!” she said brightly.

“Hi,” Maria said. “Why are you working on Saturday?”

“Jane is a relentless workaholic,” Darcy supplied, “but we’ve got new equipment arriving.”

“That’s good?” Maria said, looking slightly non-plussed by Darcy’s wiggle of happiness. Darcy grinned.

“Whenever Jane gets new equipment, I get to order pizza while she stays up all night messing with it,” Darcy explained. “It’s the little things, really.” They walked in the same direction.

“Okay,” Maria said, giving her a tiny smile. “I wish pizza made more of my coworkers happy.”

“Have you tried pizza days, like Pizza Thursday? Might be good for morale?” Darcy said. 

“Noted,” Maria said. “Sorry for all that paperwork, too.” Darcy was holding her pink slips for deliveries. Apparently, they’d gone back to actual paper after the HYDRA Uprising, because people were afraid that they’d get Nazi-attacked, Trojan horse style, if someone hacked an electronic system.

“That’s okay,” Darcy said, stopping in front of the hallway to deliveries and pushing the door open. “I get to use my glitter pens. Happy Old Farmers’ Day, Maria!” 

“Okay,” Maria said, as Darcy gave her a small wave and disappeared behind the door. At the other end of the hallway, Fury appeared.

“Hill,” he barked. “Where have you been?”

“Talking to Darcy Lewis,” she said, walking back towards him.

“What crazy thing is she doing now?” he asked.

“She’s gotta know about Rumlow, right?” Maria wondered aloud at the same time.

“Rumlow? What about Rumlow?”

“He’s her--you mean, you don’t know?” Maria said, truly stunned.

“Don’t know what?” he said.

“Wow,” Maria said. “I thought everybody knew.”

“It may surprise you, Hill, but I don’t indulge in gossip,” Fury said, looking as affronted as a cat offered a bath.

“Hi, I’m here for Jane Foster’s new equipment,” Darcy said, fluttering her papers at the agent working the desk.

“You can put those there,” he said, gesturing to an inbox and disappearing into the back room. Darcy was setting down the paperwork when something caught her eye, She recognized the handwriting on the sheets at the top of the pile. She’d stared at that handwriting on all his cards and the letter. She snuck a peek at the sheets, thumbing through them looking for a signature. It was on the second page.

“Holy shih tzu---” Darcy said out loud, gaze fixed on the bottom of the page. The agent came out of the back. His name tag said Davidson, but Darcy had forgotten it.

“Did you need a handtruck?” he asked. “Miss?”

“I, uh, yeah,” Darcy said. She looked up at the agent. “It was him this whole time!”

“What?” he said.

“Jane doubted me,” she added. “Hold on--I’ll be right back!” 

“What about your stuff?” he called out.

Darcy dragged Jane downstairs. “What are you so insistent about?” Jane complained, as Darcy led her to deliveries.

“You’ve got to see this!” Darcy said, moving to the inbox tray. “Look!” Darcy handed the paperwork to Jane.

“I’ve got your equipment,” Agent Davidson said, looking between them in confusion. “That’s not your paperwork.”

“You’re freaking kidding me? Your secret admirer is  _ Commander Rumlow?”  _ Jane said.

“Oh yeah,” Davidson said. “Everyone knows that.” He looked sympathetically at Darcy. “Sorry. He’s just terrifying.”

“Is everyone scared of him?” Jane wondered.

“When he was embedded in HYDRA, he went after Captain Rogers with just a taser and he’s insane,” Davidson said. “So, yeah. Everyone’s petrified.”

“I’m not,” Darcy said. She’d just realized she wasn’t. “Jane! Jane!” She hopped and clapped.

“What?” Jane said.

“He ran into the elevator that day, remember?” Darcy said, giggling. “It’s definitely him! And he totally wanted to tell me at that coffee shop.”

“That’s right!” Jane said. She looked at Davidson. “Just a taser?” she asked.

“I mean, it was one of our tasers, but he’s not afraid of anything,” he said.

“But he’s afraid of you,” Jane said, looking at Darcy. “That’s hilarious.”

As they rolled the equipment upstairs, Jane laughed. “What?” Darcy said. “Jane, he’s soooooo hot. Like, yummy, oh God. And he’s like the poster hottie for the scary STRIKE dudes!” She was a little awestruck.

“And he’s afraid of you!” Jane said, bursting into laughter.

“He’s just not good with words,” Darcy said stubbornly. “He’s not actually afraid of me. I don’t think.”

  
  
  



	6. Dessert Day (Oct. 14th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing!

“I’m going, I got plans, all right?” Brock said, resisting the nurse trying to jab him with a needle. “Lemme go,” he insisted. “Jack, don’t let her do this to me!” At the foot of his bed, a bruised Jack sighed. The door swung open and Maria Hill walked in.

“Commander Rumlow,” the nurse scolded. “You have a gunshot wound.”

“Jack, hey,” Brock yelled, “you gotta tell her, all right? So, she knows I didn’t stand her up--ow, you asshole, you stabbed me!”

“It’s a mild sedative,” the nurse said.

“What’s wrong with him?” Maria asked Jack.

“He has a date with Darcy tonight,” Jack explained. “I have to tell her who he is.”

“She still doesn’t know?” Maria said.

“Nope,” Jack said, as Brock finally sank back onto his pillow. “Bloody hell, he put up a fight for a first date,” he said.

“Yeah,” Maria said, nodding sympathetically at the nurse. She looked miffed. “Sorry,” Maria said. The nurse nodded.

“No, I mean on the mission. Took longer than we’d planned. There were twice as many cells as we had intelligence for, he temporarily incapacitated about fifteen people,” Jack said. 

“So,” Maria said, looking at the field injury forms on her SHIELD tablet. “A gunshot wound and a head injury?” There was a dark bruise on Rumlow’s forehead.

“He actually hit his head on the quinjet,” Jack admitted. “He was talking about running into her in a coffee shop and then ran into the edge of the ramp.”

“You’re kidding?” Maria said. Jack shook his head. “We’ll put it down as a field injury.”

“Thanks, darl,” Jack said.

“You’re running point on debriefing,” Maria told him. ”Since he’s out of commission.”

“Fair trade,” Jack said. In the bed, Rumlow snored. 

Jack was so busy with debriefing and Rumlow’s usual post-mission tasks that it was late afternoon before he went looking for Darcy Lewis. He’d seen four-thirty on the clock and begun to panic. What if she’d gone home early? He hurried into Jane Foster’s lab. The scientist was staring at some machinery. Her head jerked up. “Hello. Can I help you, Agent Rollins?” she said.

“I’m looking for Darcy?” he said. “I have something to tell her, something important--”

“She’s at the hospital,” Jane said calmly.

“What?” Jack said.

“She’s visiting Brock,” Jane said, still calm. “She’s been there since Cameron told her where he was at lunch.”

“Oh,” Jack said, shoulders sagging in relief. “What do I do now?” Jane looked at him cannily.

“Make me a cup of coffee and I’ll show you this portal technology I’m working on,” she bargained.

“All right,” Jack said mildly. He got to the door, then turned back. “Have I just become your assistant?”

“Only for the afternoon,” Jane said. 

***

Brock stirred and opened his eyes. He was in a hospital bed. He was….”Oh, shit,” he said, trying to sit up quickly. The effort made him feel dizzy. 

“Whoa,” a voice said, somewhere to his left. “Slow down, Brock.” He turned his head. Darcy was looking at him with a big, beaming smile. “You’re awake,” she told him.

“Hi,” he said. She was even cute under these horrible lights, his brain supplied. He licked his lips. They were dry. She was still smiling at him. She knew. She _ knew _and she’d curled up in hospital room and waited for him to wake up. “Did Jack--I’m sorry I missed our date. A fucker shot me and then the nurse wouldn’t let me leave--” he explained, shooting a dirty look at the staff member passing by the door.

“It’s okay,” she said, leaning over to tuck back a strand of his hair. “You just lay back,” she said gently. She threaded her hand through his and then lifted it to kiss his bruised knuckles. 

“Okay,” he said. She grinned at him. “You’re--you’re not upset, are you?” he asked. “That it’s me?”

“No, no.” She shook her head rapidly. “I was so happy. I am happy.”

“Good,” he said, relieved. But she was nibbling her mouth thoughtfully.

“Well, you could have told me it was you!” she said, laughing.

“You told me not to,” he said. “I asked, but you wanted to keep the feeling--” Darcy rolled her eyes.

“That’s so embarrassing. I must’ve sounded crazy,” she told him. “God, I rambled at you!”

“No,” he said. “No, sweetheart. I know what you meant. I been feeling that ever since I dropped off that note, afraid it would all end when, uh, you realized I was--”

“Terrifically gorgeous?” Darcy piped up. He laughed.

“Old,” he said. “I’m one hundred years old.”

“You don’t look a day over eighty three and a half,” she said teasingly. He smirked, then frowned.

“--and I’m dangerous,” he added, sighing. “Or I used to be.”

“Phffft, I’m not scared of you,” Darcy told him.

“Are you sure?” he said, but she waved her arm dismissively. 

“Totally, C’mon, we’re celebrating the holiday,” she told him, turning around and futzing with something.

“The holiday?”

“Yup,” she said, back to him.

“God, you’re cute,” he said, shifting to face her better. She turned back, beaming.

“For that you get chocolate cake,” she said. “It’s Dessert Day, so I went and got us something for when you woke up. Technically, I ate half my piece, but you were asleep and there was nothing good on--what’s wrong?”

“I don’t, uh, eat dessert?” he said, swallowing. “Ever.”

“Remember when I said I wasn’t afraid of you?” she said, narrowing her eyes and waving her fork as if it was a weapon. “You’re having at least one bite of this cake, mister. It’s Dessert Day.”

“I am?” he said. She nodded. Firmly. 

“You cannot just go through life avoiding cake,” Darcy said. Brock started to laugh. 

“Okay, okay, one bite of cake, just to celebrate,” he said. “A small one.”

“This is acceptable to me,” she said, smiling, as he had chocolate for the first time in years. “Good, right?” she said.

"Yeah." He had a second bite. “You’re really not scared of me?” he asked.

“Nuh-uh,” she said. “Nope. Not afraid of you.”

“Well,” he said, smirking. “Fuck me.”

“I’m planning on it,” she told him, grinning. “The nurse told me you’d be cleared for sex in a week or so.” He laughed joyfully. “Also, Jane is not afraid of your murder-faced friend Rollins. He’s getting her coffee for me,” Darcy added. 

“You’re kidding? Jack?” Brock said. Darcy shook her head.

“We’re bossy. Also, Jane can return anything to a store. It’s amazing.”

“Huh,” he said. “You’ve got me eating cake and Jack making coffee.”

“Just wait, I’m going to get you to do a lot of things, Commander,” Darcy said. She wiggled her eyebrows. “A lot of things.”

“All right,” he sad mildly. “A week and a half, huh?” She giggled.

“Can I see the abs? I heard they were great,” Darcy said, setting down the plastic cake slice box.

“People talk about my abs?” he said.

“There’s a bootleg of the gym feeds,” Darcy said. “I’ve been trying to get a copy for weeks.”

“Uh-huh,” Brock said. He lifted the sheet slowly. “Did you want upper abs or lower abs?” he asked. 

“Ooooh,” Darcy said. “I can’t decide! Which is better?”

“Eh,” he said modestly. “I can’t really tell you, sweetheart, it’s not like I made the gym feed.” He shrugged, grinning, before flashing her a glimpse of his stomach. She clapped and bounced in her hospital chair. 

“I thought was too excited to sleep before, but really, I had no idea,” Darcy said. “I’m putting sex day on my phone calendar.”

“Can you add me to the event?” he asked. 

“Of course,” Darcy said.

***

In Jane’s lab, Jack yawned. These sheilas worked late. He needed to thank Brock for insisting they all sleep, he realized. “Go get more coffee,” Foster suggested, tapping her laptop.

“All right,” he said, standing up and stretching. 

He was returning with two large coffees when his phone dinged. Jack peered at it. “Why are Darcy and Brock participating in something called Sex Day?” he wondered aloud. It was on the official STRIKE calendar.

“She has a holiday calendar,” Jane told him. “I don’t know about Sex Day, but Gin and Tonic Day is this month. I’m definitely celebrating that if these damn calculations don’t track.”


End file.
